Preventive Health Medicine

In 2010, proceeds from the Fit for Eternity Walk/Run will benefit Preventive Health Medicine.   Why? approximately 46 million Americans do not have medical insurance and in addition a study found that 17.1 million people under age 65 were underinsured.   37 million of the uninsured were employment-age adults (ages 18 to 64) and more than 27 million worked at least part time.  nearly a third of Hispanics lack health insurance and there are 8.1 million uninsured children in the US and nearly 8 million young adults (those aged 18–24).

A lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. A 2009 Harvard study published in the American Journal of Public Health found more than 44,800 excess deaths annually in the United States associated with uninsurance. A survey released in 2008 found that being uninsured impacts American consumers' health in the following ways: More of the uninsured chose not to see a doctor when were sick or hurt  *Fewer of the uninsured  report currently undergoing treatment or participating in a program to help them manage a chronic condition * 21% of the uninsured, vs. 16% of the insured, believe their overall health is below average for people in their age group.

When persons do not get annual check-ups, this unfortunately leads to issues becoming far more serious when caught later in the process. However, with access to good quality healthcare, morbidity and mortality rates would drop significantly.   Thus, this year we are partnering with two health centers who work tirelessly to ensure persons, who may not have the financial resources, receive quality care.

This year, our benefit organizations are the Mary Howard Health Center – serving the primary health care needs of Philadelphia’s homeless and Rising Sun Health Center – providing quality healthcare to the entire community, reaching out to immigrants and under/uninsured persons.